The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-10-21
On i MEXICAN STREET CAR.
Protection from Brigands-- Dogs and
FIeas Aboard-Other Passengers.

FIeas Aboard-Other Passengers.
Let us go by Mexican street car to st.
Angel, if you please. And let us take
the second-class car. This is the best for
several reasons. In the first place it is
safest from disease and vermin. For the
first-cIass car is cushioned, while the sec
Ond-class is hard wood and washed white
every day. And then it only costs "bit,
while the first-class car costs a quarter.
We do not want to take the third-class,
because that carries freight, as rule,
and you have to stand up. Nor do we
care to take the fourth class if we can
help it. For the fourth-class car is a
black car, and carries only the dead.
Yet they all go at the same time and in
solid line, every hour, starting from the
grand plaza before the palace, where all
the street-cars in Mexico City start from.
You may ask, if you like, why they all
start at the same time and travel in solid
line. You will be politely told that it is
done to protect the street cars from
brigands. And, maybe, the little Amer
lean lady traveller will gasp and find her
smelling bottle; and, most certainly, the
special correspondent gentleman will
whip out his notebook, write it down,
and believe the nonsense to the letter.
The secret of it all is "tips." The street
car driver and conductor and collector
of fares-it takes three men to run one
car-only receive 81 day-a Mexican
dollar equals rs centS-and so they have
to be pretty sharp to live. One of their
resources for revenue is to tell startling
things to travellers, brighten them little
if they can, and so secure "tip" out of
them in return for information of this
sort along the historic routes. But the
truth is there is as little danger of
brigands or anybody else in going from
the Mexican palace to st. Angel as there
is in going from the Battery to Harlem,
New York.
The driver, with a big brass horn, blew
long blast in the hall, the other drivers
followed, and we Chamber in as the ten
packed, crowded cars trundle on down
the paved and brilliantly-colored street.
On down the streets we trundle, going
out by the very street by which Gen.
Scott entered forty years ago next sum-
mer. Color! Color! cheap color, and
bad art it is true, but still it is color.
These painted horses, with impossible
horsemen and dancers and all sorts of
things painted on the walls are "gin-
mills" = pulque shops. Thousands of |
flags futter about and above the doors.
But not the flag of Mexico. The govern
ment forbids the use of the national |
cOlors for such purpose.
What kind of people in the cars? Look
and see; listen! Cocks are Growing on
either hand and under your seat. At
least half dozen big fellows-not Aztecs
but Mexican "gentlemen"-have fight
ing-cocks in their laps and are on their
way to Tacalya, where Gen. Franklin
Pierce Fought bis way to the presidency,
and where there are at least fifty monte
tables and ever so many Cock-hghts in
full blast at this season of the year. This
busy, tumultuous and most popular place
IN all suburban Mexico is just half way
to st. Angel. We pass the gates by
which the Americans entered up the
long, lofty and graceful aqueduct, like
that one in ruins at Rome only smaller;
On, on, out the long lane of trees, over
the "causeway" on which Ccrtez fought
and where SO many of his men found
muddy graves with their loads of gold;
IN, to the base of Chapultepec. And the
red-headed and belligerent roosters crow
ng and strutting, trying to get at each
other as much as they can.
There are at least dozen dogs in the
;ars. They growl and bark and snarI
But they are too lazy to fight, these
ioEen Mexican dogs. Heavens! From
he fieas climbing up your legs and turn
ms sOmeTsaultS there you would think
here was nothing but dogs and fleas in
he car. This is good place to tuck
TOur pantaloons inside your boots.
"Chapultepec!" cries the conductor.
And the driver blows his brass horn. The
rowded cars stop in park Some old
1exlcan women with heavy baskets get
ut with great effort, every man helping
hem. Sometimes a pretty Mexican,
panish, or half-IEdian girl gets in or out
she is very pretty you must not notice
er much. You may give her a seat if
on ike; but it is bad taste to even look
t her for second. She, on her part,
7ill not lift her eyes to yours all day; nor
ill you be permitted, under the laws of
politeness here, to speak to her or ,
lance at her, or even seem to know she !
near you. But, if you are very polite s
nd want to do some favor, you are
ermitted to exhaust your attentions on
40 old and ugly ones to your hearts
ontent, and these are plenty. Yes, we
an teach these people down here by the
arm seas to pillow, to plant, to cut
rass, make money and machinery; but
,r solid, rand honest, and unselfsh
Offences commend me to the Mexicans.
he poorest Mexican in all this latitude t
IN teach any New York American good S
anners any day in the year.-Joaquin G
i1er'S Letter in Chicago Times. b
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The Earth's store of Electricity. a